Page 16 of Tempting Her Dragons (Embracing The Bond #10)

Chapter Sixteen

Kingston

I want to rip his eyes out of the socket. He saw too much of my mate’s skin, and no matter what Saphira says, he has looked many times.

I never thought I would be sitting at a table in my mate’s kitchen with a beast of a man, eating as if we weren’t in the presence of a shifter who is supposed to be a myth. I thought they were no more left in the world. Mav and I met one once. He was a killer, ruthless and heartless. We took a job years ago. The man built a maze on his land that he used to chase and torture unsuspecting humans. The man made a game out of hunting them, tricking them into the maze of horrors. He advertised it as the most difficult maze in the world, and humans paid to try to get out. They had no idea it was a game they couldn’t win. He hypnotized them into believing there was a way.

We had to use every ounce of our gifts and dragons to cut off his head. He fought and struck until the end.

We can’t be blamed for our caution toward Heath. I don’t sense any bad intentions, but it’s hard to trust him.

“Thank you for the meal,” Heath says when the only sound is utensils scraping the plate. “I appreciate you not holding my species against me.” Fuck, it’s difficult to keep my scowl in place.

“You can understand our caution,” I say.

“Kingston,” Saphira whispers, and I put my hand on her arm.

“We don’t spend a lot of time with other shifters,” I continue. “The ones we meet are not good ones. If Saphira trusts you, I will, too.” At least I’ll try.

“The last shifter we met like you was not a good man,” Mav says.

“I understand,” Heath says. “I would never do anything to hurt Saphira or the bond between you.” He wipes his mouth and drops the napkin on his empty plate.

“Are the men done deciding who is trustworthy enough to be around me?” Saphira grumbles.

I turn to her and cup her jaw. “If it means you are pissed every day at us for being suspicious of everyone who could hurt you, I’ll take it,” I say softly, and her eyes clear of anger.

“When you say shit like that,” she sighs. “How can I stay angry?”

I smirk and squeeze my fingers before dropping them. “Because you know how much we want to protect you.”

“I will leave you,” Heath says, scooting back his chair.

“I’ll walk you out,” Mav says, getting up. “Baby, I have some things to take care of today.”

“Is everything alright?” she asks, tipping her head back.

“Yes, I need to meet with my mom,” he explains. “Stay with King. I’ll be back later.” He leans down and kisses her softly.

“Be safe,” she says and turns toward Heath. “Thank you for coming over. If you have any jobs, send them.”

“Alright,” Heath says and walks to the door.

“Have fun,” Mav says, petting her hair before following Heath out the door.

“Fun?” She faces me. “What are we doing?”

“I wanted to spend some time together,” I say, leaning my forearms on the table. “Will you share your waterfall with me?”

“Of course,” she says, cupping her hand on my arm. “I love swimming.”

“Good.” I pat her hand and stand. “Get ready while I clean up.”

“I can help,” she offers as she pushes her chair back.

“Get ready while I clean up,” I repeat.

“Geesh, I’m not going to argue with my mate insisting on cleaning the kitchen,” she sasses, winking over her shoulder as she walks toward her room.

I chuckle and watch her ass disappear. Mav and I discussed the importance of each of us spending time with our mate alone. We are thrilled to share her, but our relationship with her won’t be the same. We are similar men; we share the same values and some of the same dreams in life. Even though we have some of the same experiences, especially early in life, our views are different. We need Saph to know us separately.

I load the dishwasher and clean the counters. Saph has a wonderful place. As I look around, I can see her touch in decorating. She is an interesting combination of soft and fire. There are pictures of her with her family everywhere. She is neat but not a fanatic. She has blankets thrown over the furniture and books scattered on the side tables and coffee table.

Her bedroom is messier. It’s her safe place, where she can be anything she wants.

“Ready.” I stop studying the room and study my mate. Stunning. She put on a bikini that I can see underneath the long, white, sheer cover-up. There is a ruffle at the hem that dances around her ankles. “I’ve got towels and a blanket we can sunbathe on.” She holds up the bundle.

“Sunbathe?” I ask.

“I’m sure you aren’t a man who does. For today, you are.” She grins.

I’ll do whatever she wants as long as she is excited. “Whatever you say, Firefly.” I walk over, take her stack of things, and grab her hand.

“Maverick isn’t doing anything dangerous, is he?” she asks as I lock the door behind us.

“No.” I take the lead down the steps.

“Would you lie to me?”

“Yes.” Mav is meeting with our mom. They will call Shade for an update on the twin and, if necessary, go hunting.

“At least you admit it,” she snorts.

“Mav shouldn’t run into any trouble,” I say, pulling her to my side. I slow my pace and walk beside her into the trees. “He’s looking into some leads.”

“If he finds something, will you tell me?”

“Yes. We are a team.” I glance at her face, and her smile is wide.

“Good. We are a team now,” she says with a pleased smile. My attention constantly goes to our clasped hands. She swings them between us while we walk. “I want to ask you something.”

“Go ahead,” I say, looking at her profile. She bites her lip and keeps her eyes on the water we are approaching.

“I don’t want you to be upset.” I stop, let go of her hand, and open the blanket.

“You can ask me anything.” I spread the fabric at the edge of the stream, take her hand again, and tug her down.

“Why do you have a rope around your wrist?” she asks quickly. I bend my right knee, turning to her.

I brush my fingers over it on my right wrist. “I never thought I would hold someone’s hand again,” I say, and she frowns. “When we were taken, I held Mav’s hand. I never let go. He was the only person I had left in the world, and I thought if I did, he would disappear, too. While we were in the closet, huddled together, our hands were clasped.” I pick up her hand and stroke her fingers. “It seems like such a simple touch, but not to us. We were boys who witnessed horrific things and were tossed into more terrible things. Our connection was born in friendship with each other and friendship between our parents, but it was formed in steel in that closet.” I keep my gaze on our hands, but I feel her sadness.

“When they forced us out of the house,” I say, swallowing harshly. “They tied a rope around our hands. It was tight and made our wrists bleed. One of the men held the end of the rope, pulling us so fast we could barely stay on our feet.”

“King,” she sobs, scooting closer.

“We were in shock and heartbroken. The rope stayed on for weeks until they separated us so they could try to convince us to shift. The first time, I felt like a piece of me was missing. Maverick was my anchor in this world. In some ways, he still is. We don’t like to be separated, even now. We have bled together.” I twine our fingers and touch the rope on the wrist that is connected to her hand. “This is part of the rope they tied us with.”

“What?” she asks faintly.

“I never take it off.”

“Why?”

“It’s a reminder. Our time there was hell. The blood that soaked in the strands is faint but still there. It reminds me of what is important and the evil of men. I never want to forget the things we lived through together. Maverick is not my blood brother, yet he is. We bled for our bond. No one else in the world can understand how we felt except him. He is my brother in every way that counts. I would die for him and protect him until my last breath.” I look into her distraught eyes. “Mom tried to hold my hand months after she rescued us. I screamed at her and ran away. I remember the hurt in her eyes and regret my actions, but I couldn’t help it.”

“You can hold my hand,” she whispers.

“Yes. I can hold hers now, too, but not often. It took years to allow her touch. She worked hard to gain my trust. It brought back too many memories. Maverick was the only hand I would hold. Meeting you, I was afraid,” I confess.

“Of what?”

“I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to stand your touch,” I admit.

“King,” she says softly, her eyes wet.

“I am grateful that I can. In my other relationships, short as they were, I never held their hand.”

“Never?”

“No, I couldn’t stand the thought. I knew you were the one I would do anything for because I wanted your skin against mine. Holding your hand seems simple, but it’s everything to me. It feels right.” I bring our joined hands to my lips, kissing them softly. “Your skin is soft, and your scent is addictive.” She trembles. “Maverick is my family. He’s been my home. We don’t have to speak to know each other’s thoughts. I am so grateful that we are sharing a mate, my Firefly. I wouldn’t have been able to live apart from him. He is my soulmate.”

“I would never want to come between you.”

“We love each other as brothers, but you are the piece we have been missing,” I say roughly.

“King.” Her heart pounds.

“Saph, do not ever doubt our dedication to you. We will do anything to make you happy and feel safe. Sometimes, you may not agree with our reasoning but know we only want to protect you. I know you are able to defend yourself, but you have us now to carry some of the burden.” I let go of her hand and press my hand to her pulse. “We have been waiting for you.”

“I want to be your mate,” she says. “I may be slow to trust, but you have done everything right. It kills me that you both went through so many horrible things. I understand the meaning behind the rope, but I hope it doesn’t cause you more pain by wearing it. It hurts my heart to think that you are reminded every day of your trauma. You will never forget; something like that can never disappear from your mind. But I hope to ease the memories somehow.”

“You already have,” I whisper. “I will always have demons from the past, but being here with you has given me a purpose.”

“I’m glad.” She leans into me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and hugging me tight. I close my eyes and revel in her comfort.

She is the only one we have and will continue to bare our souls to. I don’t think I am worthy of her, but I will not argue with the universe’s gift. They put her in our path, and we will never give her up.

“I didn’t plan to make you sad today,” I say, pulling back. “Let’s swim.” I brush her tears from her face. “My kind-hearted mate.”

“You just want to see me in my bikini,” she teases, sniffling.

“You are right about that,” I drawl and get to my feet.

“You didn’t change into a suit,” she states, slowly standing.

“I did not,” I confirm and reach for the collar of my shirt, pulling it over my head.

“How do guys make that look so sexy,” she mutters, her eyes on my chest.

“Practice,” I say, dropping it to the blanket.

“Uh-huh…” She grabs her skirt in her fists but stalls when I unbutton my pants.

“Does it make you uncomfortable?”

“What?” Her eyes snap to mine.

“If I swim naked.” I hold in my laugh when she waves her hand in front of her face, sputtering.

“Of course not,” she scoffs, but her gaze leaves me. She looks at everything in the area except me as I unzip my pants.

“Firefly,” I call and wait for her to look at me. “Tell me the truth.”

“You distract me,” she says. “How am I supposed to swim?”

“Saph, I’ve been trying to control the urge to stare at you. It’s only going to get worse when you take that off.” I motion to her dress, and she smiles slowly.

“I’m fine,” she says softly.

I push my jeans down, and they join my shirt. She blushes, but I notice she doesn’t hide the fact that she is looking at everything. I’m already hard, so it’s difficult to miss. All she has to do is breathe to turn me on. I turn my back and walk into the water. I stop when I am waist deep, turn toward the shore, and cup the water with my hands. I watch my mate as I pour the water over my hair and slick it back. It’s barely warm, but it feels nice on my hot skin.

“Not fair,” she grumbles.

“What?” I laugh.

“You know.” She narrows her eyes and inches up the fabric to her thighs. My laugh gets stuck in my throat with every pull up her body. When it’s bunched at her waist, showing her toned thighs and a scrap of fabric covering her pussy, I grit my teeth.

As she crosses her arms and pulls it over her breasts, I swear I see a smirk, but it’s gone when the cover-up clears her head. Her gorgeous hair floats around her shoulders and down her back. She stands proud in the red two-piece. The bottoms are held to her hips with ties. All it would take is a gentle tug on one end to bare her to me. Her tits are overflowing the top, and her hard nipples are obvious.

She walks slowly into the water, her eyes locked with mine. I fist my hands at my sides, trying to control the need to reach out and pull her to me. I had no expectations of the day, but I can’t help yearning to be inside her. I want her desperately.

She stops two feet away, hovers her hands over the water, and suddenly pushes, causing the water to hit me in the face.

I use my hands to brush the water from my eyes and blink. Her hand is covering her mouth; whether to hold in a laugh or her shock at her actions, I don’t care.

“Do you want to play, Firefly?” I say dangerously. My eyes glow, and she lunges to the side with a squeal.

I growl low. There is no way I can resist the chase.